Rail fastener

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for holding a rail to gage on a concrete tie, in which the tie has two depressions in the upper surface with cast-inplace anchor members in the depressions. A channel-shaped rail fastener, provided with extensions thereon to overlie the rail flange, is positioned on the tie and is provided with downwardly depending hook members which resiliently hook under the anchor members to hold the fastener to the tie.

United States Patent Inventor Maurice J. Crespo 17438 Via Corona, San Lorenzo, Calif. 94580 Appl. No. 817,643 Filed Apr. 21, 1969 Patented Jan. 26, 1971 RAIL FASTENER 8 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 238/349, 238/310, 238/350 Int. Cl E01b 9/34, E01 b 9/48 Field ofSearch 238/351,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,446,857 8/1948 Snyder 238/349 2,490,962 12/1949 Larsen et al. 238/349 3,326,466 6/1967 Sanson 238/349 3,458,132 7/1969 Newton 238/349 Primary Examiner-Arthur L. La Point Assistant Examiner-Richard A. Bertsch Att0rney-Mellin, Moore and Weissenberger ABSTRACT: Apparatus for holding a rail to gage on a concrete tie, in which the tie has two depressions in the upper surface with cast-in-place anchor members in the depressions. A channel-shaped rail fastener, provided with extensions thereon to overlie the rail flange, is positioned on the tie and is provided with downwardly depending hook members which resiliently hook under the anchor members to hold the fastener to the tie.

PATENTEDJAN28I97I 3,558,060

sum 2 OF 3 INVENTOR.

MAURICE J. CRESPO ATTORNEYS PATENTfinJAueslsn $558,060

SHEET 3 0F 3 ENTOR. MAUR J. CRESPO FIG... 6 I

RAIL FASTENER BACKGROU ND OF THE INVENTION Although concrete ties have long been used for laying rails, continuous problems have been encountered in providing satisfactory devices for securing the rails to such ties.

Perhaps the most common manner of securing rails to concrete ties is by the use of metal rail clips which are bolted to the ties and which have portions thereon engaging the edge of the rail flange to prevent sideward movement of the rail and there hold it to gage, also portions engaging the upper surface of the rail flange to hold the rail down against the tie and prevent down-rail run. A typical example of such rail clips is that shown in Sonneville U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,335.

In practice, these, and other tail fasteners, utilizing bolts or screws have disadvantages in that the bolts, being under tension, will often break when in use. If the bolt breaks off in the insert into which it is screwed, it is very difficult to replace. Additionally trouble has been encountered in having the castin-place insert pull out of the tie, thus requiring a replacement of the tie.

Another problem with such device is that the vibration thereof when the track is in use will often cause the bolt to loosen, which in turn reduces the downward holding force that is required to prevent down-rail run. Such loosening is often undetectable until after such holding force has been lost and down-rail run has occurred.

Because of the cost of these devices, it is necessary to make double use of them, that is, to prevent down-rail run and to hold the rail to gage. However, clamping the rail tightly down to the tie to prevent such down-rail introduces a problem in that oftentimes the wave action of the rail will pump the tie up and down in the ballast, leading to premature deterioration of the bed or tie, or both.

Another type of rail fastener that has been, and is being used, but which does not require the use of bolts is that shown in Sanson US. Pat. No. 3,326,466. In these devices there is a housing or member cast into the tie with a portion thereof projecting upwardly from the top surface of the tie. A spring member is secured to such cast-in-place member to bear downwardly on the upper surface of the rail flange.

In practice, these fasteners have not been as satisfactory as desired since the spring, again being under constant tension and subjected to flexing by the wave action of the rail, frequently fails from metal fatigue.

This type of fastener also has an undesirable attribute in that portions of the cast-in-place members which project upwardly from the tie are subject to being struck and damaged. If the damage is sufficiently severe, the entire tie must be discarded. Also, the upwardly projecting portions make it difficult to stack ties for storage.

This type of fastener is also utilized to hold the rail against the down-rail movement, thus clamping the rail downwardly to the tie and causing the tie to pump up and down through the wave action of the rail.

In addition, the upwardly projecting portions are designed to engage the sides of the rail flange and hold the rails to gage, but this makes it difficult and at times impossible, to reposition the rails on the tie as the gage surface of the rail wears away.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes the abovedescribed deficiencies of the prior art rail fasteners by providing a fastener which requires no bolts or screws to hold it in place on the tie and which is used with a concrete tie having anchor members which are recessed completely in the upper surface of the tie. In addition the rail fastener of the present invention is designed so that it is readily available installed and easily removed by readily available tools and without the necessity of undue skill of the workmen. The present rail fastener is designed so that the rail may be easily repositioned, and so that the rail is allowed to move upwardly a limited distance when subjected to wave action without disturbing the tie or ballast thereunder.

More specifically, the advantages of the present invention are accomplished by the use of a tie having spaced-apart recesses adjacent the rail seat in which anchor members are situated. The rail fastener comprises a base member having upstanding portions provided with extensions thereon to overlie the rail flange. Spring members at either end of the base member project downwardly into the recesses and hook, by the spring action, into the anchor members.

Further objects and advantages ofthe present invention will become apparent in the course of the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which like parts are designed by like reference numerals throughout the same,

FIG. I is a side view of a portion of a concrete tie having rails secured thereon, each by a pair of rail fasteners in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of one of the rail fasteners of FIG. I mounted on a concrete tie;

FIG. 3 is an elevational sectional view of the rail fastener taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the rail fastener, taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a gage shim usable with the present invention;

' FIG. 6 is an elevational sectional view of a modified form of the invention; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the modified form of the invention shown in FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, FIG. I discloses a concrete tie 10, which may, if desired, be provided with a steel bearing plate II which is cast in place during manufacture of the tie, and a pad 12, conventionally of plastic material. Rails 13 are each secured to the tie by a pair of rail fasteners 14 and 15, the rail fasteners 15 nearest to the center of the tie being the gage fasteners, and the rail fasteners 14 being the field fasteners. Since fasteners 14 and 15 may be identical, only the gage fastener will be described in detail.

As is seen in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the rail fastener 15 is generally channel-shaped and comprises a base member 16 having forward and rearward ends 17 and 18 with integral side portions 19 and 20 extending upwardly from the side edges of the base member. Each side portion 19 and 20 has an extension 21 projecting forwardly of thebase member, the extension 21 having an inclined lower surface 22 generally parallel to and overlying the flange 23 of the rail 13.

The tie is provided with two depression 24 and 25 in the upper surface thereof which are spaced longitudinally along the tie. During manufacture of the tie, the tie is inverted and its upper surface is formed by the bottom of the mold. A V- shaped steel reinforcing rod 26 is positioned in the mold so that the central portion 27 thereof will extend transversely of the tie in depression 24, to serve as one of the anchor members for fastener 15 when the latter is attached to the tie.

The other depression 25 may be formed by a metal box member 28 having a wall 29 extending transversely of the tie and a shoulder 30 thereon, the wall 29 serving as the other anchor member for fastener 15. The box member 28 is positioned on the bottom of the mold before the concrete is poured therein and may be provided with an outwardly extending portion 31 for anchoring embedment into the concrete.

Two additional depressions 32 and 33 are formed in the upper surface 'of the tie, each depression having a rear wall 34.

The rearward part of the base member 16 is slotted at 35 and 36 and the portion 37 therebetween is bent so as to form a downwardly depending member having a rearwardly extending hook 38 on the end thereof. Similarly, the forward part of the base member 17 is slotted at 39 and 40 and the portion 41 is bent so as to form a downwardly depending member having a forwardly extending hook 42 on the end thereof. Two additional depending members 43 and 44 are punched from the base member 16 and bent downwardly.

v A gage shim 45 is utilized to space the edge 46 of rail flange 23 at the desired predetermined distance from a fixed point in the tie, such as from one of the anchor elements 27 or 29. The gage shim is best shown in FIG. 5, and is provided with two slots 47 and 48 which receive the extensions 21 of the rail fasteners therein. The back surface 49 of the gage shim engages the forward end 17 of the base member and the front 50 of the gage shim engages the rail flange edge 46. Such gage shims are made in varying thicknesses and a shim having the proper thickness is utilized to provide the proper gage position of the rail. The back of the gage shim is provided with an up wardly and forwardly inclined cam surface 51.

In installation, the rail fastener is tilted, and the rearward hook end 38 thereof is put in to depression 34 and hooked under anchor member 27. The fastener is then lowered so that the forward hook end 42 engages the cam surface 51 of the gage shim. The fastener is then hammered down into place. with the forward hook end 42 flexing rearwardly and riding down the back of the gage shim and the wall 29 until the fastener is in place, at which time the forward hook end 42 will spring forwardly under the shoulder 30 to anchor the fastener 15 in place.

As the fastener 15 moves into place, the depending members 43 and 44 thereof will enter the tie depressions 32 and 33 and engage the rear walls 34 thereof to prevent any longitu dinal movement of the rail fastener 15 away from the rail seat.

When the gage surface 52 of the rail 13 wears away sufficiently that the rail must be moved to the left, as seen in FIG. 1, the rail fastener is removed and the gage shim 45 is replaced by a suitably thinner shim. To remove the rail fastener, a pry bar is forced down between the forward depending member 41 and wall 29 to move hook end 42 out from under shoulder 30. The forward end of the rail fastener is then pried upwardly to move the hook end out of depression 25. The gage shim is replaced and the rail fastener is hammered back into locked position.

Since the rail will have been moved away from the field fastener 14, a shim of suitable thickness will have to be installed with such fastener to hold the rail in place.

As seen from the above, the rail fastener 15 can be formed by conventional metal working process from a single piece of sheet stock, such as A" steel. The particular material and heat treatment thereof, may vary as described as long as the fastener is sufficiently resilient that the forward hook end 42 can flex around and then spring under the anchor member 29.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a modified form of the invention. The rail fastener 115 is again generally channel-shaped and comprises a base member 116 having forward and rearward ends 117 and 118 with integral side portions 119 and 120, which have forward extensions 121 thereon.

The tie 110 may also be provided with a steel insert 111 and resilient pass 112, and is also provided with depressions 124 and 125 in the upper surface thereof spaced longitudinally of the tie, the depression having steel reinforcing rods 127 and 129, respectively, therein to serve as anchor members.

The upper surface of the tie is also provided with a depression 133 which is complementary in shape to the depending boss 144 formed on the bottom of the base member 116.

A metal strap 135 of resilient steel stock is provided, having a flat midportion 136 to overlie the base member 116, and having the rearward portion 137 bent downwardly with a rearwardly extending hook end 138. The forward portion 139 of the strap is bent downwardly and is provided with a forwardly extending hook end 142.

If it is desired to provide an electrical insulation between rail 10 and the anchor members which are embedded in the tie, a layer of insulating material 150 may be conveniently disposed between the base member 116 and the strap 135. Although the rail 10 will engage and electrically contact the body of the rail fastener 115, there is very little electrical leakage between the base member 116 and the reinforcing members within the tie.

The rail fastener is also simply installed. It is placed on the tie with tie with the depending ridge 144 in tie depression 133, which will prevent movement of the rail fastener longitu dinally of the tie. If desired, an insulating member 150 is placed in the upper surface of base member 116. The forward hooked end 142 of strap is hooked under anchor member 129 and the rearward end is lowered towards the anchor member 127. A suitable pry bar is used to spring the strap end 138 forwardly so that it will clear the anchor member 127 and the strap is hammered down so that the rearward hook end snaps under anchor member 127 to anchor the fastener in place.

The rail fastener may be removed by inserting a suitable pry bar between the rear portion 137 of the strap and the anchor member 127 and prying the strap free.

Although the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 and 7 is in two pieces, as compared to the one-piece device of FIGS. 25, the two-piece construction has an advantage easier manufacture. Since the body portion of the device, i.e., the base member 116 and side members 119 and 120, does not have any spring action, this portion of the device can be made from more inexpensive materials. It can be made from cast or stamped steel. The spring strap 135 is, of course, made from spring steel, but very few bending operations are required to form it into its final shape.

Gage of rail 10 is maintained by dimensioning the body of rail fastener 115, between the depending boss 144 and the forward end 117, so that the forward end 117 will be adjacent to the edge 46 of the rail flange 23.

If the rail were intended to be held in the position indicated in FIG. 6 by the dotted line 10, a rail fastener 115 having a larger dimension from boss 144 to forward end 117 would be used, in conjunction with the same size strap 135.

If desired, instead of providing a number of rail fasteners 115 with different dimensions between ridge 144 and forward end 117 for changing gage, shims 45 could be used with a single size rail fastener 115 in the same manner as described in connection with FIGS. 2-5. Likewise, instead of using a single size rail fastener 15 with different size shims 45, a plurality of rail fasteners 15, having different dimensions, in the same manner as disclosed in FIGS. 6 and 7 could be used, ifdesired.

With either embodiment, there will be a vertical spacing between the rail flange 23 and the lower surface 22 of the forward extension 21 of the rail fastener so as to allow the rail to move upwardly from the tie during wave action thereof. Down-rail run will be prevented by use of conventional rail anchors (not shown) secured to the rail and adapted to engage one or both sides of the steel inserts of such ties as conditions require.

It is to be understood that the particular embodiments herein shown and described are preferred embodiments of the invention and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. Rail fastening apparatus comprising:

a. a concrete tie having first and second longitudinally spaced depressions formed in the upper surface thereof;

b. a metal anchor member in each depression, each of said anchor members being disposed completely below the upper surface of said tie and extending transversely of said tie;

c. a metal rail clip having a base member with forward and rearward ends, said base member being disposed flat upon the upper surface of said tie, and means extending upwardly and forwardly from the forward end of said base member to overlie a rail flange;

d. a depending member at the forward end of said base member projecting downwardly into one of said depressions and having a forwardly extending end hooked under said anchor member therein;

e. a depending member at the rearward end of the said base member projecting downwardly into the other of said depressions and having a rearwardly extending end hooked under said anchor member therein;

f. at least one of said depending members being of sufficient resilience to enable said end thereof to flex around said anchor member and then snap thereunder as said rail clip is installed.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim I, wherein said depending members at the forward and rearward ends of said base members are integral with said base member.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said depending members at said forward and rearward ends of said base member are formed at opposite ends of a resilient metal strap, the midportion of said strap overlying said base member.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3, and further including a layer of electrical insulation material disposed between said strap and said base member.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said tie having a third depression formed into the upper surface thereof. said base member having means integral therewith projecting downwardly into said third depression to prevent rearward movement of said base member.

6.'Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said depending members at the forward and rearward ends of said base member are integral with said base member.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein said depending member at said forward and rearward ends of said base member are formed at opposite ends of a resilient metal strap. the midportion of said strap overlying said base member.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim I. and further including means associated with the forward end of said base member for engaging the edge of a rail flange at a predetermined horizontal distance from one of said anchor members. 

1. Rail fastening apparatus comprising: a. a concrete tie having first and second longitudinally spaced depressions formed in the upper surface thereof; b. a metal anchor member in each depression, each of said anchor members being disposed completely below the upper surface of said tie and extending transversely of said tie; c. a metal rail clip having a base member with forward and rearward ends, said base member being disposed flat upon the upper surface of said tie, and means extending upwardly and forwardly from the forward end of said base member to overlie a rail flange; d. a depending member at the forward end of said base member projecting downwardly into one of said depressions and having a forwardly extending end hooked under said anchor member therein; e. a depending member at the rearward end of the said base member projecting downwardly into the other of said depressions and having a rearwardly extending end hooked under said anchor member therein; f. at least one of said depending members being of sufficient resilience to enable said end thereof to flex around said anchor member and then snap thereunder as said rail clip is installed.
 2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said depending members at the forward and rearward ends of said base members are integral with said base member.
 3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said depending members at said forward and rearward ends of said base member are formed at opposite ends of a resilient metal strap, the midportion of said strap overlying said base member.
 4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3, and further including a layer of electrical insulation material disposed between said strap and said base member.
 5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said tie having a third depression formed into the upper surface thereof, said base member having means integral therewith projecting downwardly into said third depression to prevent rearward movement of said base member.
 6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said depending members at the forward and rearward ends of said base member are integral with said base member.
 7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said depending member at said forward and rearward ends of said base member are formed at opposite ends of a resilient metal strap, the midportion of said strap overlying said base member.
 8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, and further including means associated with the forward end of said base member for engaging the edge of a rail flange at a predetermined horizontal distance from one of said anchor members. 